Using caffeine to improve your athletic performance is a controversial topic that has no clear right or wrong answer. Caffeine is a stimulant drug used regularly by 75% of Americans, primarily in the form of coffee. Beyond giving you your morning wake-up call, caffeine is also used by many athletes to boost their performance. It's also commonly used to stimulate weight loss. Does caffeine really help? Is it safe? Use these pros and cons to help you decide whether using caffeine to become a better athlete is right for you. Plus: Test your fitness style…

Whether you are trying to beat your own personal record for running a 5k or you are looking for that extra edge in your next competitive soccer game, using caffeine to enhance your performance is a tool that many athletes employ.

Caffeine is a stimulant, which temporarily speeds up the metabolism to help mobilize energy stores in order to fuel exercise.

While this is a promising use of caffeine, there are also a number of negative effects that can impact your health. These include increased heart rate, high blood pressure and dehydration.

But how serious are these consequences? Do they affect everyone? Do the pros outweigh the cons?

We'll outline the pros and cons of using caffeine, but it's up to you to decide what's right for you in the end.

Pros and Cons of Using Caffeine as an Enhancer

The Pros:

- Caffeine enhances high-duration exercise performance, such as marathons, triathlons and cross-country skiing. Caffeine works by sparing glycogen stores (the body’s storage form of energy) and promoting the mobilization of fat for fuel, which can help you go longer.

- Caffeine has an appetite-suppressing effect, making it a popular weight loss aid.

- Caffeine promotes the use of stored fat for energy, contributing to noticeable weight loss.

- Caffeine stimulates brain activity, helping you to be more alert and productive during the day.

- Caffeine decreases your perceived effort during exercise. This psychological effect helps you increase your level of effort during exercise by making you think you aren’t working as hard as you really are. When you work harder, you increase your overall calorie burn.

The Cons:

- Caffeine does not improve performance for short-duration exercises, like weight-lifting or sprinting.

- Caffeine is a natural diuretic, which can easily cause you to become dehydrated. Dehydration is a very dangerous state for the body to be in, especially during exercise.

- Caffeine stimulates the large intestines to contract. This is useful for relieving constipation, but may also cause stomach cramping and diarrhea. If used just before exercise, this effect can cut the workout short, hindering your performance.

- Caffeine use can contribute to insomnia, poor quality of sleep, anxiety, irritability, and the jitters.

- Drinks containing caffeine usually also contain high amounts of sugar, which can contribute to weight gain. Black coffee and espresso have virtually no calories (until you add cream and sugar.)

- As a diuretic, caffeine decreases your body's tolerance to high temperatures. Your body triggers sweating to cool you at your core. But when you're already dehydrated, there is not sufficient water in the body to produce the needed sweat. This can make it both difficult and dangerous for you to exercise in hot temperatures.

- Caffeine increases stomach acid secretions, which can lead to heartburn and acid reflux during exercise.

- Caffeine can cause heart palpitations. Only use caffeine under the supervision of your physician if you have medical issues that could conflict with caffeine use (such as hyperthyroidism) or if you are at high risk for heart disease. The same goes if you take any kind of prescription medication.

If you decide that the pros outweigh the cons, keep these three tips in mind when using caffeine to aid exercise performance:

1. Drink caffeine 3-4 hours before your endurance exercise to allow your body to benefit maximally from the caffeine boost, and to avoid any cramping or diarrhea that may immediately follow caffeine use.

2. Refrain from drinking caffeinated beverages for 3-4 days before your endurance exercise to counteract caffeine tolerance. Be careful because this can cause caffeine withdrawal. Side effects of caffeine withdrawal include headache and fatigue, which can obviously negatively affect your performance. For more on how to avoid caffeine withdrawal symptoms, read: Cutting Out Coffee.

3. If you choose to use caffeine to aid you during competition, make sure you know how it will affect your body. Use it first during training and practices.

What's Your Fitness Style?Some people find it easy to set the alarm clock for 4:30 a.m. and jump out of bed for a five-mile run, while others hit the snooze button so many times that the chance of a morning workout becomes obsolete. There are specific aspects of your personality that determine what kind of exerciser you are, so if you've found yourself in a fitness rut, it's time to put your unique interests back into the equation. Find out which kinds of exercise are right for you with this fitness style quiz.